Latest news with #MaggieCoblentz
Asahi Shimbun
31-07-2025
- Science
- Asahi Shimbun
Miso produced in 1st fermentation attempt in space tasted 'nuttier'
Miso that has been returned to Earth after being fermented in space (Provided by Maggie Coblentz) In one small step for astronaut foods and one giant leap for Japanese cuisine, miso became the first successful fermentation in space, although it had a stronger flavor than paste produced on Earth. A scientific paper was published this past spring trumpeting the success aboard the International Space Station. The U.S. and European researchers who conducted the study chose miso, instead of cheese or wine, as the food item to be fermented. An interview with leading authors of the article showed their enthusiasm for the selection of the traditional Japanese condiment. 'I think 'surreal' is the word.' 'Yeah, it was crazy.' Maggie Coblentz, a research affiliate of space food with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, and Joshua Evans, a senior researcher of fermented foods with the Technical University of Denmark's Center for Biosustainability, sounded excited as they were interviewed. A group of scientists including Coblentz and Evans prepared a mixture of steamed soybeans, rice koji (boiled rice fermented with the Aspergillus oryzae fungus) and salt, and put several hundred grams of the paste in a transparent, semihermetic container. They sent the mixture aboard a rocket to the International Space Station in March 2020. The space facility is under 'microgravity,' equivalent to one-10,000th to one-one-millionth of the gravity on Earth. The paste was kept for about 30 days in a special box that can sense changes in temperature, humidity, off-gassing and other conditions. The container was returned safely to Earth, even though the power supply was disrupted a few times. The scientists said they had to overcome many hurdles during the experiment. They received a succession of inquiries from the ISS operator, including on the possible toxicity of the fermentation and on potential impact on other equipment aboard the ISS. They grappled with mountains of documents to clear the rigorous safety standards one by one. That was a single-shot test, wherein the experimental equipment couldn't have been repaired even if had succumbed to abnormalities in space. The researchers were told, ahead of the rocket lift-off, that a strange smell was coming from their equipment. They explained that was just the miso, giving off a beautiful aroma. CLOSE SHAVE OF 3 DAYS The rocket was launched around the time COVID-19 was raging across the globe. Evans said that, had the lift-off been scheduled for three days later, the experiment could have been rendered impossible by the pandemic-imposed lockdowns. Analysis of samples taken from the container of the miso raw materials showed they contained microbes of the same species that are found in miso fermented on Earth. The scientists concluded, on the basis of the taste, aromas and ingredients, that miso was present. Following peer-reviews and other procedures, their article was published in iScience, a U.S. science journal, in April to describe what they label as the first food fermentation experiment in space. Western media outlets covered the topic of the 'space miso' one after another. That is considered the first time that food was fermented aboard the ISS, even though a test culture of yeast cells, wine maturing, and other processes had taken place earlier in space. The researchers said the space miso contained more glutamic acid, an umami ingredient, than miso made from the same raw materials during the same period on Earth, and had a stronger 'nutty' and 'roasted' aroma. But lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, both of which are considered essential for Japanese miso production, were not found in the space miso. A chef who has lived in Japan used the space miso residue from the experiment to prepare miso soup, which members of the research team relished. 'Bringing it to space was really exciting for us to expand the creativity and the challenge of how to cook and prepare miso,' Evans said. 'It offered me the chance to view Earth as if I were seeing it from space by proxy.' FOOD DIVERSITY INSTEAD OF BIAS Coblentz stressed food diversity as she explained why she and her colleagues chose miso for the first fermentation project in space. Western food items account for the bulk of the space food offered aboard the ISS. 'Much of the research on fermented foods has tended to be predominantly in English,' Evans said. 'There can sometimes be a bias toward Western products such as bread, cheese and wine. Why not use that platform to showcase a greater diversity of products and traditions?' Since it is said that humans have a reduced sense of taste in outer space, nutritional efficacy is the major consideration in space food. 'Something like miso is really powerful because it's so concentrated in umami, protein, and flavor, and it is very versatile culinarily,' Evans said. 'It struck us as the ideal choice.' There are expectations the latest experiment will mark a step toward food diversification, which would make long-term stays in space closer to life on Earth in the future. In addition, the experiment will also be helpful for research on fermentation processes under microgravity. The experiment used rice koji spores, an essential ingredient for miso production, that were manufactured by Bio'c Co., a seed koji maker based in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture. Bio'c officials said they learned of the fact only upon reading the article. 'I find it a great honor that our product was used there,' said Bio'c President Yuichiro Murai. 'Miso is popular in Western countries, where, as I have been told, many people eat it without knowing that it has its origins in Japan. I hope we will take this opportunity to advertise the charms of miso.' SAKE BREWER IN WAITING Dassai Inc., a sake brewer based in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is hoping to follow on the heels of the miso fermentation by making Japanese rice wine in space. The company has plans to send a set of raw materials and equipment, aboard a domestically produced H3 rocket, to the ISS's Japanese experiment module Kibo by the end of this fiscal year. The raw materials will be placed in a special device for fermentation into 'moromi' sake mash, which will be returned to Earth in refrigerated storage, where it will be used to make a commercial product, Dassai officials said. A 100-milliliter bottle of sake from the project was put on sale, through a preorder, to the tune of about 100 million yen ($670,000). The preorder slot has already been sold, company officials added. Dassai CEO Kazuhiro Sakurai said he felt heartened by the space miso experiment, as he has ambitions to brew sake on the moon in the future. 'The fermentation process in space marks a very big step,' Sakurai said. 'Humans will need pleasures and delights when they expand their sphere of living to outer space in the future. I hope that sake has a role to play there.' Takeo Koizumi, director of the nonprofit Fermentation Culture Promotion Agency, sounded skeptical about the authenticity of the space miso. 'It remains open to question whether that could be called a miso of the sort that Japanese usually have in mind,' he said, pointing out that yeasts and other microbes were not found in the space miso. But Koizumi sounded more upbeat as he added: 'The very fact the space miso became the talk of the town across the world is a positive note for the future of Japan's fermentation culture.'
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Sent Miso to Space to Ferment — and It's Apparently Delicious
Scientists studied miso fermentation on the ISS versus Earth to understand how space conditions affect flavor, texture, and microbial composition. Space-fermented miso developed a darker color and a 'nutty' and 'roasted' flavor, likely due to higher temperatures and increased pyrazine levels. The research highlights how microbes adapt in space and raises ethical questions about relocating Earth-based life, while also suggesting new culinary possibilities for long-term space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) do a lot of important work to help advance science, including experiments and research to support humanity's potential future as outer space explorers. And that extends to researching how to make food taste better on both long-haul space missions and down here on Earth. In April, researchers published the findings of their study titled "Food Fermentation in Space" in the open access journal iScience, highlighting the differences in taste between miso fermented on Earth — specifically in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Copenhagen, Denmark — versus miso fermented in the ISS. If you're unfamiliar with miso, this fermented soybean paste is a powerhouse of flavor. It's a staple in Japanese cooking, and the umami-packed paste can be used for everything from classic miso soup to marinades, salad dressings, and so much more. There are many different varieties of miso and variables that can influence its flavor. But one factor that hadn't been tested until now? Space. Related: 16 Robust, Complex Miso Recipes, From Pasta to Dessert For the first stage of this experiment, the scientists made three batches of miso starter and sent it off to the three locations. The misos on board the ISS and in Cambridge were each placed inside an environmental sensing box to carefully monitor variables like temperature, humidity, and radiation levels. The one in Copenhagen was left in a standard container to act as a control group to see if it was the box or space that made changes to the miso. After a 30-day wait, the miso onboard the ISS was sent back to Earth for analysis against the two already on terra firma, where scientists could measure its texture, color, microbial population, and flavor profiles. The researchers found that the miso fermented in space had higher levels of certain microbes — microscopic organisms that are crucial to the fermentation process — which they note could be because of the warmer temperatures aboard the ISS. "While the ISS is often seen as a sterile environment, our research shows that microbes and non-human life have agency in space, raising significant bioethical questions about removing plants and microbes from their home planet and introducing them to extraterrestrial environments," Maggie Coblentz, an industrial design scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explains in a statement. The flavor of the three miso pastes also differed. The researchers found that the space miso exhibited a darker color along with a "nutty" and "roasted" taste, which could be attributed to an increased production of pyrazines — an organic compound that the report says displays "baked, roasted, and nutty flavor characteristics" — in the space miso due to the higher temperatures. Related: Foods Like Kimchi and Miso May Have Major Mental Health Benefits, New Study Suggests "By bringing together microbiology, flavor chemistry, sensory science, and larger social and cultural considerations, our study opens up new directions to explore how life changes when it travels to new environments like space," Joshua Evans, a food scientist at the Technical University of Denmark, details. What does this mean for the future? According to Evans, these learnings "could enhance astronaut well-being and performance, especially on future long-term space missions. More broadly, it could invite new forms of culinary expression, expanding and diversifying culinary and cultural representation in space exploration as the field grows." Read the original article on Food & Wine
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Fermenting Miso in Space Gives It a Unique Flavor, Study Finds
There's something about the space environment that changes the flavor of miso in interesting and subtle ways. An experiment to create the fermented soybean paste simultaneously here on Earth and aboard the International Space Station found that the space miso tasted intriguingly nuttier and more roasted than miso produced at the same time in the US and Denmark. "Fermentation [on the ISS] illustrates how a living system at the microbial scale can thrive through the diversity of its microbial community, emphasizing the potential for life to exist in space," says industrial design scientist Maggie Coblentz of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "While the ISS is often seen as a sterile environment, our research shows that microbes and non-human life have agency in space, raising significant bioethical questions about removing plants and microbes from their home planet and introducing them to extraterrestrial environments." Miso is a tasty, salty fermented paste used extensively in Japanese cuisine. It's made from steamed soybeans, salt, grains such as rice or barley, and kōji (Aspergillus oryzae), the fungus behind the miso fermentation process. The team's experimental setup was pretty simple. The researchers prepared three batches of miso starter, then sent these batches to the three different locations: Cambridge, Massachusetts; Copenhagen; and low-Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station. In the higher-radiation and microgravity environment of the ISS, the experimental batch fermented for 30 days, housed inside a specially designed sensing box that monitored temperature, humidity, pressure, light, and radiation. Meanwhile, the Cambridge batch was housed in an identical box, but the Copenhagen batch was not. This allowed the Copenhagen batch to serve as a control to gauge whether the sensing box itself altered the fermentation process. Once the 30-day fermentation process was complete, the miso was shuttled back home to Earth to be analyzed and compared to the two terrestrial control batches. That analysis involved genome sequencing to study the microbe populations in the miso pastes, assessment of the physical properties such as texture and color, and an evaluation of the flavor profiles. The space miso fermented successfully, but it was noticeably different from the Earth miso pastes. The microbial communities in the space miso, for example, contained higher populations of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus warneri, possibly as a result of the warmer temperature on the space station. In addition, the bacterium Bacillus velezensis was only identified in the space miso. As for the flavor of the three miso pastes, all had similar aroma compounds and amino acids, and the characteristic yummy salty flavor expected. However, the space miso was nuttier and more roasted in taste, the researchers found. This flavor is associated with pyrazine compounds that probably emerged as a result of the higher ISS temperatures too, which would have accelerated the fermentation process. It's a fascinating result that demonstrates the differences environmental tweaks can make on how life organizes itself, and how we might eat as we explore the stars – especially since our sense of taste is dulled in microgravity. "By bringing together microbiology, flavor chemistry, sensory science, and larger social and cultural considerations, our study opens up new directions to explore how life changes when it travels to new environments like space," says food scientist Joshua Evans of the Technical University of Denmark. "It could enhance astronaut well-being and performance, especially on future long-term space missions. More broadly, it could invite new forms of culinary expression, expanding and diversifying culinary and cultural representation in space exploration as the field grows." The research has been published in iScience. Rare Star Doomed to Explode Finally Confirms Astronomical Prediction Tardigrades Reveal The Secret to Surviving The Extremes of Space New NASA Space Telescope Unveils Its First-Ever Images
CNN
02-04-2025
- Science
- CNN
Scientists sent beans into orbit and made ‘space miso.' Here's how it tasted
Japanese cuisine wouldn't be the same without miso — but astronauts wanting use the fermented soybean staple in space one day might have to get used to a difference in taste. An experiment on board the International Space Station (ISS) has produced miso paste, thought to be the first food deliberately fermented outside Earth — a feat that scientists hope will shed light on the potential for life to exist in space, and broaden the culinary options for astronauts. The 'space miso' had a similar umami, or savoriness, to miso made on Earth. But according to the researchers who sampled it, there was a key difference: a stronger roasted and nutty flavor. Scientists Maggie Coblentz from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Joshua Evans from the Technical University of Denmark sent a small container of cooked soybean paste to the ISS in March 2020, where it was left to ferment for 30 days before returning to Earth as miso. The miso was kept in a container with sensors, which closely monitored temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and radiation, according to the peer-reviewed paper released in the journal iScience on Wednesday. As part of the experiment, two other miso batches were fermented on Earth for comparison — one in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US and the other in Copenhagen, Denmark. 'We didn't know what to expect — fermentation had never been done before in space,' Evans, the co-lead author of the study, told CNN. 'The space miso one was darker and clearly more jostled—which makes sense, as it had traveled much more than either of the earth misos. It was exciting to smell and taste the first bite.' He explained some environmental features in space, in particular microgravity and increased radiation, could have impacted how microbes grow and metabolize, and in turn how fermentation works. 'By bringing together microbiology, flavor chemistry, sensory science, and larger social and cultural considerations, our study opens up new directions to explore how life changes when it travels to new environments like space,' Evans said. Furthermore, Evans said the research could 'enhance astronaut well-being and performance,' and 'invite new forms of culinary expression, expanding and diversifying culinary and cultural representation in space exploration as the field grows.' Miso, the salty fermented bean paste, forms the base of many soups, sauces and marinades. Every region in Japan has its own special recipe. It is traditionally made of soaked soybeans, water, salt and koji (a type of mold), and traditionally takes about six months to develop its distinct umami taste, with the flavors intensifying the longer it ferments. Many fermented foods contain probiotics, live microorganisms that, when ingested, can work in conjunction with the existing good bacteria in the gut microbiome to help regulate the digestive system. But Evans said the further analyses is still need to asses its nutritional value, including the macromolecular composition and bioactive compounds present in the space miso. Coblentz, also a co-lead author of the study, said the miso fermentation on the ISS underlined 'the potential for life to exist in space' by showing how a microbial community could thrive. Scientists have long experimented with growing and harvesting fresh produce in space, including various types of lettuce and radishes. In 2021, the ISS even hosted a taco party to celebrate the harvest of the first chile peppers in space. One Japanese company is also making a special brew of sake fermented in space. Asahi Shuzo, the company behind the popular Dassai brand, has paid Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for access to the Kibo experiment module, part of the ISS, to conduct tests. The company is also developing space brewing equipment, with a planned launch date later in 2025.
CNN
02-04-2025
- Science
- CNN
Scientists sent beans into orbit and made ‘space miso.' Here's how it tasted
Japanese cuisine wouldn't be the same without miso — but astronauts wanting use the fermented soybean staple in space one day might have to get used to a difference in taste. An experiment on board the International Space Station (ISS) has produced miso paste, thought to be the first food deliberately fermented outside Earth — a feat that scientists hope will shed light on the potential for life to exist in space, and broaden the culinary options for astronauts. The 'space miso' had a similar umami, or savoriness, to miso made on Earth. But according to the researchers who sampled it, there was a key difference: a stronger roasted and nutty flavor. Scientists Maggie Coblentz from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Joshua Evans from the Technical University of Denmark sent a small container of cooked soybean paste to the ISS in March 2020, where it was left to ferment for 30 days before returning to Earth as miso. The miso was kept in a container with sensors, which closely monitored temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and radiation, according to the peer-reviewed paper released in the journal iScience on Wednesday. As part of the experiment, two other miso batches were fermented on Earth for comparison — one in Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US and the other in Copenhagen, Denmark. 'We didn't know what to expect — fermentation had never been done before in space,' Evans, the co-lead author of the study, told CNN. 'The space miso one was darker and clearly more jostled—which makes sense, as it had traveled much more than either of the earth misos. It was exciting to smell and taste the first bite.' He explained some environmental features in space, in particular microgravity and increased radiation, could have impacted how microbes grow and metabolize, and in turn how fermentation works. 'By bringing together microbiology, flavor chemistry, sensory science, and larger social and cultural considerations, our study opens up new directions to explore how life changes when it travels to new environments like space,' Evans said. Furthermore, Evans said the research could 'enhance astronaut well-being and performance,' and 'invite new forms of culinary expression, expanding and diversifying culinary and cultural representation in space exploration as the field grows.' Miso, the salty fermented bean paste, forms the base of many soups, sauces and marinades. Every region in Japan has its own special recipe. It is traditionally made of soaked soybeans, water, salt and koji (a type of mold), and traditionally takes about six months to develop its distinct umami taste, with the flavors intensifying the longer it ferments. Many fermented foods contain probiotics, live microorganisms that, when ingested, can work in conjunction with the existing good bacteria in the gut microbiome to help regulate the digestive system. But Evans said the further analyses is still need to asses its nutritional value, including the macromolecular composition and bioactive compounds present in the space miso. Coblentz, also a co-lead author of the study, said the miso fermentation on the ISS underlined 'the potential for life to exist in space' by showing how a microbial community could thrive. Scientists have long experimented with growing and harvesting fresh produce in space, including various types of lettuce and radishes. In 2021, the ISS even hosted a taco party to celebrate the harvest of the first chile peppers in space. One Japanese company is also making a special brew of sake fermented in space. Asahi Shuzo, the company behind the popular Dassai brand, has paid Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for access to the Kibo experiment module, part of the ISS, to conduct tests. The company is also developing space brewing equipment, with a planned launch date later in 2025.
